12/31/14

There's no doubt that transportation will be a hot topic in 2015, and the Georgia Chamber of Commerce's Transportation Summit recently held at the Classic Center in Athens revealed a host of items to keep an eye out for in the coming year.
While the long-awaited transportation report from the Joint Study Committee on Critical Transportation Infrastructure Funding was not yet finished when the summit convened Dec. 9, industry experts and government officials predict that next year we'll be looking at solutions to the dwindling gas tax, mass transportation options, more rail and cargo, and an increased emphasis on last-mile delivery.
Gov. Nathan Deal announced that he is shaking up transportation staff, naming the State Road and Tollway Authority...

12/19/14

12/17/14

The University of Georgia's Terry College of Business unveiled the 2015 Economic Outlook Friday, Dec. 12, at a luncheon at the Marriott Marquis in downtown Atlanta. Douglas Handler, chief U.S. economist for IHS Global Insights, spoke about the national outlook, and Benjamin Ayers, dean of the Terry College, presented the Georgia forecast. In a break from recent tradition, there was pretty good news all the way around.
Handler not only offered a fairly upbeat national forecast, he made the audience laugh out loud – an unexpected treat! Here are a few of the highlights on the countrywide front.
2015 will be a noticeably better year than 2014, but still won't be a really good year.
The federal deficit is under control, a good thing, Handler says, but it...

12/12/14

The Captain Planet Foundation threw a star-studded 2014 Benefit Gala Dec. 5 honoring renowned primatologist Dr. Jane Goodall as well as Georgians Dr. Marshall Shepherd, director of the University of Georgia’s Atmospheric Sciences Program, and 12-year-old Carter Ries and his sister Olivia, 10, founders of One More Generation (OMG). Other stars attending included Ted Turner, Jane Fonda, Larry King and CNN Anchor and Event Co-Chair Natalie Allen.
Captain Planet Foundation Executive Director Leesa Carter described the environmental organization’s success with reaching children, including the expansion of the Project Learning Garden program, which, in partnership with Pratt Industries, is now available to any school in the country for just $1,000; and...

12/09/14

The Virginia Highland website: "Historic Virginia Highland is Atlanta's most popular neighborhood for shopping, dining and nightlife. Developed in the early 1900's, it consists of seven distinct commercial "villages" alternating with short, walkable blocks of charming bungalow homes. The neighborhood's name derives from the intersection of Virginia and Highland Avenues.
Locals and tourists alike mingle for brunch at charming sidewalk cafes, cocktails at lively night spots, and innovative cuisine at progressive restaurants and bistros. Discovering the unexpected is part of the attraction where you may find world- famous musical entertainment at a tiny nightclub, an opening-night party at an art gallery or a gathering of...